Program Director/Principal Investigator : Zhang, Jin Protein phosphorylation is vitally important in the molecular communications that control cellular state and activity. It is a dynamic process mediated by kinases and phosphatases that are precisely regulated in normal cells, and deregulated in many human diseases, including diabetes, inflammatory disease and cancer. The study of the protein phosphorylation machinery and its function in signaling systems is a robustly active area of research that has driven methodological and conceptual advances and is increasingly contributing to the development of therapeutic options. Protein kinases are frequently deregulated in cancer, and they have been the focus of intense recent interest by the pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, most new cancer drugs approved by the FDA in the last several years target kinases, and there are hundreds of new kinase inhibitors under development. This strong clinical connection provides an exciting link with translational science. In this application, we request funds to support attendance of trainees, junior faculty and traditionally underrepresented groups at the 2019 FASEB Summer Research conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation. This biennial conference started in 1983, and is an important interdisciplinary gathering that brings together scientists with diverse expertise to advance understanding of the biochemical mechanisms and fundamental principles of phosphorylation events ? a focus that distinguishes this meeting from others that deal with signaling networks and systems approaches. This FASEB meeting has been, and continues to be, a primary venue for the announcement of breakthroughs in the field, and has a long-standing goal to enhance, and disseminate, knowledge that will lead to improved therapies to target aberrant kinase activity, and protein phosphorylation, in human disease. The 2019 FASEB Science Research Conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation aims to highlight recent, cutting-edge findings in the field of protein phosphorylation, to bring together structural biology, biochemistry, systems biology, chemical biology, protein engineering, and medicine. This will promote cross-fertilization among these normally separate disciplines to stimulate new lines of research, as well as to enhance communication, collaboration, career advancement for the diverse scientists in the field. The ultimate goal is to advance the field to obtain better understandings of the molecular mechanisms that regulate important biological processes and facilitate the identification of critical targets for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of human diseases. OMB No. 0925-0001/0002 (Rev. 01/18 Approved Through 03/31/2020) Page Continuation Format Page